
Iraq’s COVID-19 death toll rises to over 10,000
AFPBaghdadIraq’s health ministry said on Wednesday that more than 10,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the country whose threadbare health sector has been battered by the virus.Iraq has registered more than 413,000 cases, and the total death toll now stands at 10,021, the ministry said. Baghdad recently lifted restrictions and reopened...

Lebanon, Israel start ‘historic’ maritime border talks
NAQURA: Lebanon and Israel, still technically at war, held unprecedented talks under UN and US auspices on Wednesday to settle a maritime border dispute and clear the way for oil and gas exploration within “reasonable time”.In a joint statement afterwards, the United States and the United Nations said the talks had been “productive” and...

Iran hits new virus records, curbs travel
AFPTehranIran on Wednesday announced temporary travel restrictions on five major cities including Tehran as the country hit new single-day records in both COVID-19 deaths and new infections.As well as the capital, the measures include banning travel to and from Karaj, Mashhad, Isfahan and Urmia, the health ministry’s Kianoush Jahanpour told state...
Brazil overtakes India to become country with second-highest COVID caseload
Rio de Janeiro: Brazil has surpassed India as the world’s country with the second-highest coronavirus caseload, according to official figures.The Health Ministry in Brasilia said 85,663 new coronavirus infections were reported on Friday, bringing the total number of cases to 11,363,380 - compared to around 11,333,000 in India, which had previously occupied the second spot. The Health Ministry...
Pompeo slams ‘predator’ China as US seeks Asian influence
AFPColomboUS Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called China’s Communist government a “predator” on Wednesday as he sought to tempt Sri Lanka away from Beijing’s influence and later bolstered the US diplomatic presence in the neighbouring Maldives to counter the Asian superpower.Sri Lanka and the Maldives, both strategically located on key Indian Ocean trade routes, have borrowed heavily from...
Syria Kurds release more than 600 IS-linked prisoners
AFPQamishliThe Kurdish-led forces controlling northeast Syria on Thursday freed more than 600 Syrian prisoners detained over links to the Islamic State jihadist group.The 631 detainees had been held on terrorism charges and were the first batch released in an amnesty deal announced recently following calls from Arab tribes in eastern Syria.The Kurdish administration in northeast Syria hold tens of...
Saudi Arabia fails in bid to join UN rights council
AFPNEW YORKSaudi Arabia failed in its bid to become a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council on Tuesday as China and Russia were elected to three-year terms. Human rights groups hailed the snub to Riyadh, which deals a blow to the kingdom’s attempts to improve its image in the international community.“The #HRC elections today delivered a stunning rebuke to #SaudiArabia under...
Iraq’s COVID-19 death toll rises to over 10,000
AFPBaghdadIraq’s health ministry said on Wednesday that more than 10,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the country whose threadbare health sector has been battered by the virus.Iraq has registered more than 413,000 cases, and the total death toll now stands at 10,021, the ministry said. Baghdad recently lifted restrictions and reopened mosques, shops and cafes but has kept its borders closed...
Lebanon, Israel start ‘historic’ maritime border talks
NAQURA: Lebanon and Israel, still technically at war, held unprecedented talks under UN and US auspices on Wednesday to settle a maritime border dispute and clear the way for oil and gas exploration within “reasonable time”.In a joint statement afterwards, the United States and the United Nations said the talks had been “productive” and that the delegates had “reaffirmed their commitment...
Iran hits new virus records, curbs travel
AFPTehranIran on Wednesday announced temporary travel restrictions on five major cities including Tehran as the country hit new single-day records in both COVID-19 deaths and new infections.As well as the capital, the measures include banning travel to and from Karaj, Mashhad, Isfahan and Urmia, the health ministry’s Kianoush Jahanpour told state television.It runs from midnight until Sunday...
Outrage as Jordanian boy’s hands chopped off, face mutilated in gruesome assault
Tribune News NetworkDohaPEOPLE in Jordan are demanding tougher laws to punish the perpetrators of a brutal assault on a 16-year-old boy that caused widespread outrage across the country.The hideous crime happened in Zarqa city, east of Amman, on Tuesday. The teenager was brutally assaulted by a group of men who chopped off both his hands and mutilated his face, apparently in revenge for a murder...
Assad declares Syria wildfires national catastophe
AFPDamascusSyrian President Bashar al-Assad declared a national catastrophe on Tuesday after inspecting crops destroyed by wildfires that have ravaged his country’s Mediterranean coastal belt.As many as 25,000 people have been forced to flee their homes, the United Nations said, in a new blow for a region which is a mainstay of support for Assad’s government.The fires, which broke out in...
Maritime talks with Israel not step towards normalisation: Lebanon
DPABeirut/Tel AvivLebanese President Michel Aoun said on Tuesday that maritime border talks with Israel will tackle “technical issues only,” indicating it is not a step toward a normalisation of ties.“The negotiations will be technical and talks should be limited to this particular issue only,” Aoun was quoted as saying by his office on the eve of the discussions. He held separate...
Qatar Tribune was launched on the 35th Independence Day of Qatar, under the parentcompany QIM Group, which has a history in the publishing, printing & distribution field.
Tribune News NetworkDohaPassenger traffic at Hamad International Airport (HIA) more than doubled in 2022 as it welcomed 35.7 million passengers throughout the year, an increase of 101.9 percent year-on-year.The airport also saw an increase in overall aircraft movements, which jumped 28.2 percent...
QNA DohaAssistant Foreign Minister HE Lolwah bint Rashid Al Khater on Wednesday met with US Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls and Human Rights Rina Amiri and Charge d’Affaires of the US Mission to Afghanistan Karen Decker.During the meeting, they discussed the latest developments in...
AhmedabadcTypeface:> The bilateral white-ball series between India and New Zealand is over and there are contrasting emotions on both the sides. The hosts were happy to have defeated the Kiwis in both ODI and T20I series, a team which has historically haunted them at big ICC events, New Zealand is...
QNADoha Qatar Central Bank (QCB) issued treasury bills worth QR 2.5 billion in January distributed over five issues worth QR 500 million each, at an interest rate of 5.0050 percent.QCB had issued treasury bills worth QR 500 million for a one-week term in January, due on Feb 7, at an interest rate of...